Wall-covering package



A. E. VAN WIRT 2,660,299

WALL-COVERING PACKAGE Nov. 24, 1953 Filed Oct. 8, 1952 FIGJ INVENTOR Patented Nov. 24, .1953

WALL-COVERING PACKAGE Alfred E. Van Wirt, Glens Falls, N. Y., assignor to Imperial Paper and Color Corporation, Glens Falls, N. Y., a corporation of New York Applieation October 8, 1952, Serial No. 313,721

1 Claim.

This invention relates to wall-covering, such as wallpaper and the like, and has for its object the provision of an improved wall-covering package. My invention is concerned with rolls of wall-covering material in the form of webs, particularly wallpaper, cloth and sheets of plastic material, of the size usually prepared for the retail trade, and provides a package of such wallcovering having an enclosing wrapper with means for protecting the ends of the roll (edges of the web). More particularly, the invention provides an improved package of wall-covering comprising a roll of wall-covering having the selvages removed and a sheet wrapper rolled over the roll on the bias with the ends rolled into beads over disc end closures. For convenience, the invention will be described with reference to wallpaper.

'It has been the common practice heretofore to provide wallpaper with edge selvages so that any edge damage would be on the removable selvage. While the selvages of about one-half inch width protect the paper and the rolls do not require special packaging, the accompanying disadvantages are that these protecting selvages must be trimmed off by the paper hanger with resulting increased cost to the home owner and imperfect hand-made joints.

Wallpaper accurately trimmed at the factory for precision butted joints has not been considered practical because of the difficulty in protecting the edges from damage. This invention not only provides excellent protection but does so at a low cost. Wallpaper rolls having one selvage removed at the factory have been provided in packages but such paper is intended to be applied with a lapped joint where clean straight abutting edges are not essential. The packaging of such rolls does not require the character of protection necessary for rolls havingboth selvage edges trimmed at the factory because such paper must be applied with abutting edges.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of my invention, I provide a wrapper of suitable sheet material, preferably paper, which is made into rhomboid parallelograms by cutting a continuous sheet of the material on the bias. The roll of wallpaper is enclosed in this wrapper at right angle to the original sheet so that the bias cut edge forms a spiral around the roll which fits snug and does not gap as a parallel edge would. The width of the wrapper is greater than the length of the roll and so extends beyond the roll at each end. Discs formed of stifi' material, such as paper board, are placed over the ends of the roll inside the wrapper and the ex- 2 H tending edges of the wrapper are rolled overon themselves and worked into beads which not only secure and bind the wrapper and protecting discs but provide additional end protection. It is advantageous to provide a wrapper of ordinary paper having the edges which form the beads folded one or more times to form a multiple reenforced layer of paper. I prefer to apply an adhesive between the layers and form the package and roll and Work the beads while the adhesive is wet, thereby forming a stronger and more secure bead.

While papers of a wide variety of grades and weights may be used, I find that a white kraft paper weighing between 50 and '70 pounds per ream produces a very satisfactory package. This may be printed on the exterior side with appropriate markings and decorations. Cardboard discs about 1% of an inch in thickness with a white paper on the outside are also'satisfactory. White ends make marking of the ends legible.

The fiat discs may be replaced, of course, by cup shaped discs whose sides are rolled with the wrapping to form the bead. Such a cup offers somewhat poorer protection than a stifi disc, and I have found it cheaper to provide the necessary paper for the bead with multiple layers of wrapper rather than by cupping the disc, but it should be understood that the discs may be cup-shaped.

These and other objects of the invention will be better understood after considering the following discussion taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of a wrapper and one end disc for use in forming a package of the invention;

Fig. 2 illustrates an intermediate stage in forming the package of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a perspective of a package of wallcovering of my invention, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional enlarged view at 44 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 illustrates a paper wrapper I of the invention which is in the form of a rhomboid parallelogram comprising re-enforced opposite sides 2 and 3. When using fairly thin paper, these edges are preferably formed by folding the paper back on itself twice toform three thicknesses of paper, the panels 4 and 5 being superposed over the main sheet I. It is advantageous to apply an adhesive such as an aqueous gelatin glue between the folds and then to apply the wrapper to the roll, as in Fig. 2, while the glue is wet or non-set. Thermal sensitive materials such as parafiin may also be used. The disc 8 can be of trimmed wallpaper l0, for example, is placed over the wrapper l with the ends 2 and 3 parallel to the ends H and ll of the roll. As the wrapper is wound around the roll, the oppositeparallel edges [3 and M of the wrapper are biased with respect to the longitudinal axisof the roll. Thesides 2 and 3 extend beyond the ends H and i2 After the wrapper has beenapplied, or during, the protecting discs 8 are placed in'position inside the wrapper and in contact with the ends H and I2. The projecting sides 2 and 3 of the wrapper are then rolled inwardly and worked into each other to form the beads l5 and 16. when this operation is performed while the adhesivebetween the folds 4 and 5 is in a fresh or non-set state,the beads become relatively stifi and rigid after the'adhesive has 'set and are thereby more securely maintained The beadsat'the ends of the roll not only secure the wrapper in position and prevent it from unwinding or becoming loose but they bear against and maintainthe discs in protecting position over the delicately cut ends! I and 12 of the roll. In forming the beads, I-may use any suitable machine or mechanical device such as rapidly spinning, grooved heads which under pressure not only fold the sides 2 and 3 inward but actually so work the material that the edges are tucked in under where they are not easily removed or loosened, thereby forming beads of considerable strength and durability. 7

Wallpaper rolls come in a variety'of diameters due" to changes in paper, coating thicknesses,

and embossing. These changes present a serious problem, particularly for any mechanized package. The wrapper of the invention can easily be adapted to various diameters by having the length of cut adjustable on a machine which cuts the wrappers from a reel, and providing a. variety of disc diameters and spinning heads.

I claim:

An improved package of wall-covering comprising a roll of wall-covering having trimmed edges, an end disc of stiff protecting material over each end of the roll, a sheet of paper 'wrapped'over' the roll on the bias and providing an exposed edge extending spirally of the package, the-sides of said sheet. at the end of the roll extending beyond the discs and being in the form of strong protecting beads overlying the peripheral edge portions of the discs and securing them in position, said beads preventing unwinding of the sheet, the sides of the sheet of the package being folded back on themseleves to such extent that the distance between the inner edges of the folded-back portion is less than the length of the roll, said folded-back portions overlapping the ends of th'e roll to provide reinforced portions opposite the endportions of the roll of wall-covering as well as reinforced protecting beads, said folds'being secured together by adhesive which is'set after the forming-of thebeads.

ALFRED E. VAN WIR-T.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,070,958 Harrington Aug. 19, 1913 1,627,048 Moore May 3, 1927 1,937,924 Thompson Dec. 5, 1933 1,990,701 Knight Feb. 12, 1935 2,027,380. Hawker Jail. 14, 1936 2,371,874 Chapman f, Mar. 20, 1945, 

